Nevada
by csi uk
Summary: Nick's teenage niece becomes a target - or is she? A familiar face becomes the centre of attention and the CSIs may not make it out alive...some GC as well
1. Welcome to Las Vegas

I don't own CSI etc even though I would really love to.

I'm English so that's why I use English spellings, please bear that in mind when you read it and think "You spelt this wrong" or "We don't call it that!"

Please enjoy!

Nevada

Chapter One – Welcome to Las Vegas

MANOR HOUSE, LONDON, ENGLAND

She spent the last morning in her family's mansion alone, eating breakfast while watching a film in the living room. A clatter at the front door meant one thing: post. She walked into the hall and began sifting through the pile of envelopes that had arrived.

"Bills," she muttered, throwing the first two envelopes aside.

"Postcard from Aunt Megan." A brightly coloured postcard from the Caribbean was tacked up onto the fridge.

"Letters for Mum, Dad and oh, me…" She picked up the last envelope, addressed to her. It was from America, where the rest of her family lived, her aunts and only uncle, that is. Only this wasn't from family. She turned it over to see it was sealed with a blue sticker with "NVR SRV" in silver font. These letters meant nothing to her. She grabbed the letter opening knife and slit it open. There was a single sheet of white paper inside with cut out letters.

"You are alone but where will you run? I know where you're going, Casey. You can't hide. And not even your guardian can protect you. Hear from me soon."

And with that, she left the house earlier than planned, taking the threat with her as she left England.

CSI, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

"Hey, Grissom!" called Nick as he passed his boss in the hallway, "you know my niece is coming here to Vegas, right?"

"Yes, Nick. I have a very good memory."

"Well, is it alright if she hangs around CSI? Because you know me, I've never really looked after a kid since, well, never."

"I suppose. How old is she?"

"13. Very intelligent, good at Science especially. She's a brown belt in karate and is pretty good with ballistics."

Grissom smiled.

"A young CSI in the making, Nick. I bet she got that from you."

LAS VEGAS AIRPORT, NEVADA

Casey Stokes walked into the Arrivals lounge of Las Vegas Airport.

"Damn it Uncle Nick, where the hell are you?" she muttered to herself angrily. Sure, she had half American blood in her from her father and English from her mother, but she had only been to America twice in her life. Both times with her parents. But now they were gone, she was a stranger to her own country.

"Casey! Casey!"

She heard a fairly familiar Texan voice call her name. Nick, her uncle, approached her from the café.

"How are you Casey?" he asked.

"A little shaken up, but I'm alright. How long will the drive be? You know how I hate long car journeys." Casey replied in an English accent, not prim and posh but still definitively English.

"Well…no more than half an hour. My shift at CSI doesn't start until later, so I can show you around and then I'll take you to work. You don't mind coming, do you? Oh, and Grissom, my boss, said it was alright for you to do a little work if you got interested."

"Gee Nick, you got everything planned haven't you?!" laughed Casey.

They made their way to Nick's brand new SUV. She insisted on putting her luggage in the boot herself and was about to open the driver's door to get in.

"Um, Casey? You realise you're in America now? We drive on the right hand side of the road and the driver sits in the left seat, so could you um, get in the other side?" asked Nick gently. He was going to laugh at her for making such an obvious mistake, but stopped himself since in England as he knew well, they drove on the left side sitting on the right.

"You got any CDs Nick?"

"Depends on what you like."

"Whatever you got, just nothing classical or cheesy pop."

"You and Grissom are gonna be like water and electricity, Case. I got some Evanescence and Good Charlotte right now."

"Really? I always knew you were the coolest out of my aunts and uncle, Nick."

"Why thank you Casey Stokes, now please buckle up and get ready to see your new home town, Las Vegas!" 

"Just one thing, Nick. I think you should call your boss and tell him we'll be late."

Nick looked confused. Casey pointed to the road ahead. It was filled with cars trying to enter, exit and drive through Vegas. She handed him her mobile phone.

"Use this, I wanna know if it works in America now."

CSI

Grissom, Catherine, Sara and Warrick were relaxing in the Break Room, minus the coffee pot which had gone missing. Down the corridor they could see Greg and Archie approaching them, talking at very high speeds look excited.

"Hey guys! Nick here yet?" asked Greg eagerly. He was literally bouncing up and down on the spot, brimming with energy. The other CSIs noticed he'd brought back the missing coffee pot, now empty.

"Do you see him? Why do you ask Greggo?" answered Sara, who gave him a slightly dark look. It looked like she'd not slept again and was probably needing that coffee just to ask the question.

"Yeah man. Since when are you all concerned about Nicky boy?" said Warrick suspiciously.

"And why is Archie here? Don't you have that video to look at that I sent you?" asked Grissom suddenly. To him, work came first as always.

Archie looked at Greg, who nodded. Archie coughed slightly and paced back to the AV lab.

"Well I heard a little rumour that Nick's become a parent at last…" said Greg slyly, looking at Sara while he said it.

Sara gasped.

"You're lying, Greg. He's become the guardian of his niece, whose parents died recently. Don't ever scare me like that again Sanders, or I'll, I'll do something!" she threatened lamely.

"Anyway," continued Greg, "as far as I know, she, the niece, is gonna be around CSI, so does anyone know how old she is?"

The CSIs burst out with laughter. Greg was staring at them with a puzzled expression.

"Anyone gonna answer?" he asked.

Still they laughed as he stalked out of the Break Room and back to DNA, where he watched the clock counting down to the mystery girl's arrival.

TBC


	2. When Greg Met Casey

Here is the 2nd chapter of Nevada; school starts tomorrow so I'm putting it up now.  Not mysterious yet, but it's still in the early stages so genre may be changed.

Chapter 2 – When Greg Met Casey

NICK'S APARTMENT

The SUV arrived later than expected at the apartment. Nick had used Casey's phone to call Grissom they'd be late. 

"And this is your new humble home, Casey. Now I know it's the size of a linen closet compared to your mansion back in England, but –" Nick was cut off by Casey holding up her hand as a signal to stop rambling on.

"Are you kidding? I love it! I've never lived in an apartment before!" she said excitedly.

"Well that's settled then. Come on, I'll give you a quick tour and then we'd best get going to CSI – we're two hours late," he added worriedly.

Nick's apartment had two bedrooms. He showed Casey to hers.

"This," he gestured, "is your room. Tomorrow we can go and get some new stuff for it if you want. And there's a TV in my room and the lounge, a computer in the study plus my laptop. No doubt you have your own, though!"

He left Casey in her room, gazing in awe at the view through the window. Vegas was just waking up from its sleep.

Nick returned with a stack of post, waving an envelope at her.

"For you," he said, "came in the mail. Someone obviously knows you're here, is it a friend?"

Casey took it, turned it over and to her horror, was sealed with that same blue sticker with "NVR SRV" written in silver. She quickly hid her terrified look from Nick, who had already gone into the kitchen to sort out his pile of post. Trembling, she opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper. Again, it was a letter written anonymously, this time printed from a computer, not cut outs.

'3 years after you drink you'll be happy. But high spirits can be brought low and life can be cut. Watch your step or you and your guardian will be sorry.'

She wondered what it meant. It couldn't be a riddle. It had to be something to do with the death of her parents.

"Of course!" she whispered, "18 is when you can drink, plus 3 is 21, and 21 is when most people get an inheritance!"

"Casey? We have to go now!" yelled Nick from outside.

She paused for a moment, then shoved the second letter into her Quiksilver bag with the first. She pulled on her Vans and ran out of the front door.

CSI

"Sorry we're late, Griss!" gasped Nick as he and Casey ran into the Layout Room where the Nightshift team were discussing a case. 

"So this is Casey Stokes, your niece?" asked Grissom, looking down at the small girl next to Nick.

"Yep, you must be Gil Grissom. Nick's told me all about you," answered Casey.

Warrick stared. He couldn't believe that that 4ft 8 13 year old girl was really Nick's niece. Casey noticed him staring.

"Something wrong? Warrick, is it?"

Warrick expected to hear a soft Texan accent, like Nick, but was surprised to hear an English accent. She looked at him with almond shaped brown eyes, innocent and mysterious.

"Yeah that's me. Warrick Brown. And how are you Casey? You like Vegas so far?"

"I'm fine thanks, a little tired though. The only parts of Vegas I've been to are Nick's apartment and here, CSI."

Catherine chuckled. She held out her hand and introduced herself. "Catherine Willows, second in command to Bugman over there. Glad you came, honey," as she and Casey shook hands. Casey smiled. She like Catherine best so far. She was much more open and friendly than the others. 'She must be good with people' she thought.

Sara followed in the same suit. "Hey Casey, I'm Sara. Sara Sidle. Welcome to Vegas!"

With the introductions over and done with, they continued discussing the case they were dealing with. Casey sat in between Catherine and Nick, listening eagerly to what Grissom was saying.

"Looks like another serial killer on the loose, team. He or she targets people involved with the law. Lawyers, judges, all the wealthy ones anyway. Our killer must be ex-military or very experienced in grenades. Tosses a smoke one to attract the targets to a certain spot, then uses a satchel charge or frag grenade to eliminate them. Or a remote bomb in their car."

"Why?" asked Sara.

"Maybe he either has or had connections with people like them and somehow he lost out on something," guessed Warrick.

"But for some reason he leaves the children of these unharmed. First he sends them threats. Mysterious letters in the mail, sealed with a sticker with the letters NVR SRV. Writes a load of crap that needs to be thought about before you understand it. In the first two cases that happened, the children – Mara Grey and Solomon James – were sent threats for a period of time, then were found shot dead in their homes. They were to inherit their parents' money at the age of 21, but it mysteriously disappeared. Even the FBI can't trace it. And we're talking millions of dollars here, plus one or two houses overseas," finished Grissom.

Casey's eyes widened. Her heart began beating faster and faster, thumping so hard she thought the others could hear it clearly.

"Casey?" Catherine touched her on the arm, gently shaking her, "everything OK?"

Casey nodded. It was better not to say anything – yet. She didn't want to be sent away back to England because she was in possible danger. "So do we have anything to test for DNA, any prints to find, anything at all?"

"This can be your first assignment, Casey. Go with Catherine to DNA and get these tested for me," said Grissom. He handed Catherine some swabs and tiny envelopes containing hairs, Casey guessed.

"Here, take this," added Grissom, "Your ID, Casey Stokes, CSI Level 1." He smiled.

Casey took the ID gratefully. She was living the dream, but at the same time living the nightmare. Someone was tracking her down. Someone was going to get her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Catherine dragging her out the door.

"Let's go to DNA, Case. Greg's been dying to meet you!"  Catherine gave a look of mischief to her colleagues, then turned back to Casey. "Greg's our DNA lab guy. He's been counting down the seconds until your first meeting."

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

A person, male or female we do not know yet, sits at a desk in an unknown location. They are busily working away on a computer checking his or her banking records and accessing the FBI mainframe. They will not be tracked if all goes to plan. The person begins to write a letter. To who and why we do not know. We leave this mysterious figure with their business and go back to Vegas…

DNA LAB, CSI

Catherine led Casey into the DNA Lab. "Ask Greg to give you DNA profiles on these pieces of evidence," she whispered and gestured to the young man listening to some rock music through headphones whilst working on his computer running profiles through CODIS.

Casey tapped Greg on the shoulder. He became alert and spun around on his office chair. He looked up and down at Casey and grinned. He was pretty impressed. She was pretty, looked intelligent and certainly looked like she had a great sense of humour just by looking at the smile on her face.

"Casey Stokes, right? Nick's niece? I'm Greg Sanders, your DNA guy. God of the lab and at your service," said Greg, bowing low to Casey. His attention turned to Catherine. "And the lovely Catherine Willows, it is an honour to meet you again."

Catherine and Casey gave him big smiles. "Hey Greg," said Casey, "could you give me a DNA profile for all these pieces of evidence please?"

Greg took the evidence from her. "Ah, the latest serial case, right? I'll have your results for you ASAP. I'll page you. Hey wait a minute, it looks like someone's already got their brand new CSI ID!"

Casey smiled proudly. "Level One though, Greg. I hope I live long enough to even get to Level Two!"

"What do you mean, Casey?" asked Catherine curiously. Something that Casey had just said didn't seem right.

"Oh, um nothing, it's just that you and the team have been working your way up for years and I'm going to take 10 years just to solve a case I bet!" lied Casey. She could've kicked herself for letting her guard down like that. Still, she could tell Catherine couldn't she? She trusted her! And Nick too! But Casey knew she had to hold it back.

"So," said Greg to Casey, wanting some conversation with her at last, "are you going out with anyone right now?"

Catherine nearly burst out laughing again. 'This is something I HAVE to tell them' she thought.

Casey looked a little surprised at this sudden personal questions. "No, I'm not Greg."

"Really? Well I'm 28, how old are you?" Greg seemed very interested in her.

Catherine glanced at the wall clock and cleared her throat. "Greg," she began, "we have to go, Grissom's probably on a rampage now. But I would've thought you knew it's rude to ask a lady her age."

"See you in the Layout Room," she said to Casey.

Casey looked at Greg. "Yes, it is rude you know, however, I'm not really old enough to be a lady, so I'll tell you. I'm 13."

"Really?"

"Yep…see you around Greggo."

She left Greg with his mouth wide open. The door clicked shut and he came back to his senses.

"Damn, I didn't ask her for her cell phone number!" he muttered to himself. 


	3. Rush Hour

A/N: csifan, MissyJane and Bex3 – thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 3 – Rush Hour

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

The mysterious person we left in Chapter 2 began to get impatient. He was pleased that he had picked the right target to get him to his goal. Mara Grey and Solomon James were just to throw those CSIs off the trail. He wasn't after money, or had anything against Mara and Solomon's lawyer parents. No, it was those stupid Las Vegas CSIs. The nightshift team – especially Gil Grissom. He had worked with Grissom before on a case and became annoyed with the entomologist's ways of solving it. When the case was solved, he (the killer) did get credit for it, but the thought of being helped by a bug-crazed scientist and his team was just too horrendous to imagine. He was an FBI agent, actually a special agent. Everyone was to follow his orders, work for him, not with him as Grissom had tried to do.

The man tapped several times on his desk in an irritated manner. His target, Casey Stokes, was being slow bait. She would think he was after her. She would ask the CSIs to help; they would go on the case immediately. They would follow his clues and locate him somewhere in Nevada. They would appear, he'd capture them, he'd talk to them and then he'd kill them. His former FBI skills had helped him in finding a relation to a CSI. His plan was working. 

He stood up and called his men, all ex-agents from all the organisations: FBI, CIA, MI5, MI6, the lot. Right now nothing could make him feel negative about the whole thing. The bait was slow, but the plan was flawless.

* * *

NICK'S APARTMENT

"Greg was flirting with you? As in Greg Sanders?" Nick could not believe what Casey was telling him. She was laughing so hard, so was he, but he knew he had to be more mature about the situation. "Casey," he said seriously, "I don't want you too close to Greg. He's too old for you. I mean it Case, are you listening to me?"

Casey  straightened her face. "You didn't actually think I was going to date him did you? God, Nick, I thought as a Level 3 CSI you'd have known I wasn't interested in that sense! We're just friends you know! Like I am with the rest of the team."

Nick relaxed. He wasn't sure if he could believe Casey entirely, but he let it pass. "OK, I'm out. 'Night Casey, see you tomorrow." With that, he smiled at her and went over to his room.

The clock in the kitchen ticked loudly. Casey sat on the sofa in silence for about 2 minutes, listening to clock ticks, traffic and surprisingly, silence. The absence of Nick's light snoring amused her. She was still worried about the death threats that had been appearing in the post pile every other day. Nick didn't suspect a thing, he just quickly sifted through the post like it was evidence and handed Casey her share. She walked into her bedroom quietly and turned on her laptop. The Internet loaded and her email inbox popped up. She scrolled through the new mails: junk, newsletters, e-cards, relatives, friends back in England. However, there was one mail that proved to be rather interesting. It was from 'Nevada' and titled 'Help'. Casey had never heard of 'Nevada' and knew no reason why he or she requested her help. Still, she clicked on it and read the mail.

'Miss Casey Stokes of Manor House, London, England, I have come to you for help. It is regarding the death of your parents…however a mail like this could be traced easily…delete this immediately after reading and open MSN Messenger. I have added you and we will discuss this through that. – Nevada'

She did what she was told to do and opened Messenger. Sure enough, the mysterious 'Nevada' had added her and was online at that very moment. Casey began the conversation casually.

Casey says: hey Nevada, how r u?

Nevada says: Hello Casey, I'm in a spot of bother at the moment, thanks for asking.

Casey says: so… u wanted 2 talk…about this whole 'thing'…

Nevada says: Yes, I have some very important things to discuss with you regarding your parents and you. Are you ready?

Casey took a few deep breaths. Could she really trust this 'Nevada'? All she could do was to return to the conversation.

Casey says: well can I trust u? ur a complete stranger 2 me and I probably am 2 u…

Nevada says: You're going to have to trust me on this. Are you ready?

Casey says: yeah I guess

Nevada says: An ex-FBI special agent killed your parents. Obviously, this is the same person who killed Mara and Solomon…and you are the next target.

Casey says: and?

Nevada says: This person, a man, is not after you at all. In fact, the target is actually your CSI friends.

Casey says: no way. Who'd want 2 hurt them?

Nevada: All I can say is I know where he's hiding. Death Valley. I don't know what his plans are, but you'd better stop him soon. He knows the CSIs somehow, so you'd better take them with you for your own safety, and theirs. Now I must go. Goodbye, Casey.

Casey says: what???????? Wait! I need 2 ask u something!

'Nevada' was already offline by the time Casey had written this reply. She shut down her laptop as fast as she could and ran quickly into Nick's room. "Nick, Nick! You gotta help me! We're all in danger!" she cried, only to be greeted by silence. Nick was not there. The window was open wide and she could see evidence of a struggle both inside the room and outside on the path. Almost crying now, Casey ran to the phone and flipped through the phone book that Nick had with all of the CSIs numbers. She tried Grissom first. No answer. Warrick. No answer. Sara. No answer. Catherine. After three rings it was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Catherine!" exclaimed Casey, glad she had someone left, "you gotta help me! We, the CSIs, are all in danger! Drive over now, hurry! There isn't much time! I'll explain later!"

She hung up and called Brass, then remembered he'd gone to Hawaii for a two week holiday. Next, she tried Greg, who in fact was her last hope.

"Hey, Sanders here."

"Greg, be ready for me and Cath to come over ASAP. Don't ask questions, just be ready to save some CSIs."

***

CATHERINE'S TAHOE

"So, you're saying you were the target in our current case? Casey, I'm disappointed in you. You should have told us as soon as you got involved!" yelled Catherine.

Casey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She'd never seen Catherine this angry before and wished she had told them a lot earlier. 

"Where are we going ladies?" asked Greg from the backseat.

"Death Valley. You trained in self-defence, you two? There's no way I'm giving you a gun without a license or professional training." said Catherine wearily.

"I'm a brown belt in karate, Catherine," replied Casey quickly.

"I, um, have watched the movies," said Greg, embarrassed from being the only one who was not experienced with self-defence or guns.

Someone's mobile phone began to ring. Greg checked his and Catherine's and Casey checked hers. "Mine," she said as she flipped her phone.

"Stokes."

"You have one hour before it blows. You will not be harmed if you bring me the remaining CSI. Do not try to save them. You have my instructions. One hour."

Casey trembled violently. Greg and Catherine had never seen her like that. What happened to cool, calm, collected Casey? The Casey they knew, the Casey they admired for being so strong at such a young age. Now this Casey was breaking her identity, but they both realised how quickly she recovered.

"Catherine, step on it. We've got no time to lose."

"What was that all about, Case?" asked Greg not wanting to be left out.

Casey glared at him. "Greg, shut up. In one hour, we may be the only ones left. This guy wants the CSIs. He wants Catherine and then we can go. But we're not gonna leave her; we're gonna be the ones who save them." She turned back to Catherine. "This is going to be an hour to remember."

"Rush Hour!" piped up Greg, only to be silenced with the deadly glares of both Catherine and Casey.


	4. Here's one I made earlier

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI etc. If I did, you'd see my name in the credits, but obviously it's not there. 

A/N: Any idea who the mysterious Nevada is? Keep reading! Also thanks for latest reviews from Prillygirl and Elle9!!!

Chapter 4 – Here's one I made earlier

A CAVERN INSIDE DEATH VALLEY

Grissom, Sara, Warrick and Nick were all sitting on a silver steel chair each, tied at the wrists and ankles and to the chair. In front of them was the killer, sitting at his desk in his desk chair with looking very smug.

Ex-Special Agent Rick Culpepper stood up. He still imagined he had the air of authority he had had when he and the nightshift CSIs were working the 'Strip Strangler' case. He held a shiny silver dagger which looked sharp enough to cut a window in the air.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, "the nightshift CSIs are in my power at last. A pity, Mr Stokes, you were stupid enough to take your niece in, when clearly you knew she could have been the next target in your case."

Nick gave Culpepper a dark look. "And it's a pity that sometime today, my niece and my friends are gonna kick your ass, Culpepper."

Culpepper held out his dagger and waved it slowly in front of Nick's face. "One more peep outta you, Mr Stokes, and you're going to be one dead CSI, just how I like you lot."

"Mr Brown and Miss Sidle, how nice of us to meet. I can assure you that the schedule of events for your killings begins with you two. And Mr Grissom, you'll be last. You are the reason for all this. You will watch your CSIs die and then you will join them."

Sara tried to kick Culpepper in the shins. He took a step back and drew his dagger again. "You have the honour of choosing how you die. A slit in the throat, shot down, beheaded or hung." He smiled evilly at her.

"Gee Culpepper," replied Sara, "Don't you think those tortures are a little out of date by now?"

Culpepper snorted and went back to his desk, where he sat down and turned on his computer. "I would kill you all now, but as a collector of many things, I would never begin with an incomplete collection. Casey Stokes is bringing me the last piece of my collection straight to me without realising what she's doing! Stupid English girl. I never knew what was with those accents anyway."

"You're going to spare her, Culpepper," growled Nick.

"Perhaps, Mr Stokes. If she co-operates with me."

"Just who or what is the last piece of your collection then Culpepper?" asked Warrick even though he already knew what the answer was going to be.

"I thought you would all have guessed by now. The nightshift team is not complete without Miss Catherine Willows, is it?"

Grissom's heart began to beat faster and faster. 'Not Catherine!' he thought 'I don't want any of us to die, but please especially not Catherine!' He thought about Lindsey. The poor kid had recently lost her father and now could lose her mother. And all of her various 'uncles' and 'aunts'. He thought about Casey. It wasn't entirely her fault, he knew Catherine would come whether she knew she would be killed or not. Grissom could not lose Catherine. Just like Nick could not lose Casey. He prayed that they would be here and save them…

***

CATHERINE'S TAHOE, DEATH VALLEY

Cheered up a little by Greg's awful singing and a swig of Bacardi Breezer each, Catherine and Greg climbed out of the Tahoe. Casey, cheered up by the fact that they were so close to the location of the killer, followed them.

"Alright people. Let's work out a plan!" said Greg excitedly, bouncing up and down on the spot being hyperactive.

"I'm calling O'Riley so we can get some back up." Catherine went back to the Tahoe to make contact with O'Riley.

Casey sat on a rock and thought for a minute. "This guy wants Catherine because she's a CSI –"

"-and so are you!" interrupted Greg.

"Yes, but he wants the CSIs that were CSIs at a particular time, I bet," she retorted. She stared at the ground, then at Greg. "I can't think of anything!"

The valley seemed awfully silent. All they could hear was their breathing and a few birds flying overhead. They both looked at the Tahoe where Catherine was…but wasn't any more.

"Catherine? Oh my god, Casey, we've gotta do something! He'll start killing them one by one and it's up to us! We can't wait until O'Riley and his guys get here!" Greg became wide-eyed and nervous.

"Let's try and find something in the Tahoe that could be of some use!" suggested Casey.

"Good idea," agreed Greg, "although I have no idea what we can make of these empty bottle and cans."

"I was never one to watch Blue Peter after school three times a week but we'll see what we can do," said Casey as they began gathering rubbish.

***

A CAVERN INSIDE DEATH VALLEY

Catherine struggled against the steely grip of the men who had captured her. They dragged her into the main chamber, where she was tied at the wrists, ankles and to a chair next to her colleagues.

"Ah, the beautiful Miss Willows has come to join us at last. Such an optimistic and strong woman, but you were not clever enough to realise that you would end up in this situation. Well, you've joined us at a good time because now, we can begin," said Culpepper. He held up a hand and made a gesture. The guards left the room, leaving him outnumbered but with the advantage.

"You're not a very honest man, Culpepper," snarled Catherine.

"And why is that? I made myself perfectly clear that you were in danger to Miss Stokes."

"Well you gave her and hour. Casey's hour is not up yet. There's still three quarters of it to go."

Culpepper took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and loudly. "Miss Stokes still has her hour, yes. But I don't have the slightest idea what she's going to do when she finds you already dead. I know I'm not honest, Miss Willows, why would I be doing this if I was an honest man? Honesty is a sin to me. And you are all part of the honesty gang, the law. I only joined the FBI to learn the skills and hack into mainframes so I could perform my own actions perfectly. I was going to get rid of the LVPD and all the others PDs so then everyone could have the chance to be dishonest."

"You son of a bitch!" yelled Catherine. She struggled to get up and lash out at Culpepper.

"Catherine!" said Grissom sharply, "don't!"

Deep down inside her, Catherine knew she should do what Grissom said. She admired him so much, even her daughter did too. Grissom was becoming everything to her, he'd come around every night and help her make dinner, he'd take Lindsey out every Saturday to the park and read her stories, he'd comfort Catherine when it was all too much for her. She fell silent and gave Culpepper dark looks.

Culpepper cleared his throat. "After that little interruption, I think we can start now. Miss Sidle and Mr Brown are going to be killed in my gas chamber. You'll find it quite nauseating at first, but it should be up to your standards." He clicked his fingers and half a dozen guards appeared and took Sara and Warrick away.

"Mr Stokes, you'll have the pleasure of drowning, unless the blades get you first. I always knew you'd get yourself in deep water at some stage in your life," Culpepper laughed at his little joke. "Miss Willows and Mr Grissom are going to come with me and be surprised as to what kills them."

Nick was taken away by three guards and Catherine and Grissom were escorted by Culpepper and four guards to another chamber.

"This is the end Mr Grissom. You're about to be eaten away by your little friends. Say hello to my piranhas, fire ants and various other human loving creatures."

Grissom looked at the creatures. True, he was fascinated by these and would never hurt them, but this time it was different. This was the one time in his life he needed some bug repellent. He wished Sara was here with some kind of chemical treatment that he always insisted against. A question popped up in his mind.

"What about Catherine? Will she die here too?"

Catherine looked up at him with fear on her pretty face. Culpepper laughed.

"This is the fun bit, Mr Grissom. Your beloved Miss Willows will watch you be eaten alive. I'll kill her when necessary. For now," he glanced at Catherine with a smile on his face, "we'll have a little 'fun' without you."

Both Catherine and Grissom were outraged at this.

"You'll never have me Culpepper! You're going to let us all go and you'll die here instead!" screamed Catherine, trying to claw at Culpepper's face with her perfectly manicured nails.

Culpepper suddenly grabbed her and pulled her close with such force. He began kissing her passionately ignoring her desperate attempts to get away. All Grissom could do was wait to die with Catherine taken away from him.

***

OUTSIDE THE CAVERN, DEATH VALLEY

"And here's one I made earlier! Let's go Greg!"

"Yeah! CSI and Lab Master team! Woo!"

A scream broke the silence around them.

"Erm, Greg, what's that I just heard?"

"I don't know. Can't be good, let's hope we're not too late!"


	5. Double Cross

A/N: Since Greg and Casey are constantly moving around the cavern, their location will be titled 'Greg & Casey' The plot thickened in the last chapter, so what does this one have in store?

Chapter 5 – Double Cross

GREG & CASEY

"I think that was Sara who screamed."

"Are you sure?"

"I've known them longer than you have, Case. Catherine's screams are different to Sara's."

"And you know this because?"

Greg grinned at her. "Let's just say it's not only Nick and Warrick I play pranks on."

They were walking through the cavern where their colleagues were being held captive. Because neither of them were allowed to use firearms and only Casey was experienced in self-defence, they stuck together with homemade weapons made from rubbish found in Catherine's Tahoe. Greg held out a broken Bacardi bottle with several unbroken ones clipped to his waist with some elastic, plus a slingshot they had made with a stick and elastic. His supply bag of stones was full to the brim. Casey was armed with a pile of white cloths and a bottle of chloroform from Catherine's kit. She also had her mobile phone in case O'Riley (who was coming to their rescue with backup) tried to contact her, and Greg's Swiss Army Knife. Greg and Casey passed through various unguarded corridors with doors leading to rooms such as 'Lavatories', 'Testing Area 1' and 'Gas Chamber Spectators Room'. Greg found this one very interesting and tried to pull Casey in, but she pointed at the room next to it – 'Supply Closet'.

Inside the closet they found more suitable weapons to use to their advantage. 

"Wa-hey! Look at this little beauty, Casey!" whispered Greg. He held up silver 9mm semi-automatic. "I'm taking this with me, it's our only chance."

"Yeah," agreed Casey, "these Blue Peter style weapons aren't gonna keep us alive for long, but we'll still need them." She took a sleek pistol from the middle shelf and some spare ammunition. "Take one of these," she said to Greg. She held out a silencer. "We may have to use stealth."

Greg nodded. "How about one of these?" He pointed at two automatic military rifles and a shotgun.

"No, we don't actually want to kill lots of people, just get past them. The guns are only for when things really start getting nasty for us. We should only use the chloroform and your slingshot  to begin with. Come one, let's go." Casey ran outside the closet and down the main corridor.

"Let's look in here," she said, opening the 'Gas Chamber Spectators Room'. Greg followed her with some pieces of thick rope around his waist. The spectators room was spherical and made of glass. About 7 feet below, sitting freely on the floor were Sara and Warrick. The electronic screen on the wall opposite them was counting down. At first, Greg and Casey didn't realise what it was going to do, but then realised what room they were in.

"Casey!" shrieked Greg, "what are we going to do? If we don't act fast, in thirty seconds Sara and Warrick are going to be filled with poisonous gas!"

Casey equipped herself with her pistol with the silencer and fired at the glass in front of her. "Tie the rope to the door handle and hang on!" she yelled.

Greg did as he was told and hung onto the rope tightly. Casey grabbed it as well and she pushed off. They almost reached the glass, a few inches in it. She tried again, this time with Greg's help. They tucked their heads into their bodies as they smashed right though the glass. Fifteen seconds left. They slid down the rope and Casey ran to Sara and Warrick. Greg started to climb back up again and cut off the biggest amount of rope he could manage. Eight seconds left. Warrick and Casey kicked down the flimsy door and took out the two guards outside it with a punch each. Casey handed Sara some chloroform soaked cloths and she put them over the guards' mouths.

"Let's go guys. Nick's about to be drowned or sliced up and Grissom and Cath are going to meet their fates as well. Oh, why us?!" whimpered Sara.

"One question. This gas is gonna eventually get to the whole building…" began Warrick.

"No problem," said Greg. He hit the 'Emergency Door' button and a heavy metal door slid down on both exits. "Done and done."

***

THE TANK

"Just like in Austin Powers," muttered Nick as he was forced onto a small platform above the tank and tied to it. The platform was attached to a metal pole. There was a whir of machinery and the platform began to slowly descend in the tank below. Once the platform was in, the metal lid of the tank would seal and he'd be trapped. The platform was descending really slowly. "Definitely like Austin Powers," he muttered again, "Someone should come now. Anyone?"

***

CREATURE ROOM

Culpepper himself forced Grissom onto a platform just like Nick's, only Grissom's platform was above a pool of piranhas. Culpepper climbed up a ladder to a glass room, where Catherine was tied to a chair. Evidently, she would be staying there against her own will and watch Grissom die, while Culpepper tortured Grissom both physically and mentally. As soon as Culpepper shut the door of the glass room he was in, several bugs were unleashed. They crawled across the floor so if Grissom escaped the fish, he'd get eaten up by the bugs. Like in The Mummy. Culpepper seemed fond of copying the films, especially as both Grissom's and Nick's platforms had unnecessarily slow dipping mechanisms.

Grissom looked up at Catherine. Tears were streaming down her cheeks from her beautiful sapphire eyes. Culpepper began the kissing act again, down her neck and on her face and lips. It angered Grissom to see her treated like that by a man like that. Tears slowly escaped Grissom's own eyes as he was getting closer and closer to his death.

***

THE TANK

Nick's time was running out. He was already in the water up to his neck. He could see slicing blades in the water below him. His chin touched the water lightly. He responded by standing on his tiptoes. He knew the end was near. He prayed for the others; even if he didn't make it, he hoped the others would.

BLAM!

The door was burst open and Greg, Casey, Warrick and Sara ran in. Sara ran to the controls and stopped the platform. Greg and Casey kept their guns trained on the three guards who had been guarding the door. 

"Alright guys!" cried Nick, "you made it in time!"

"Sara, you know what to do," said Casey. Sara covered the guards' mouths with the chloroform soaked cloths. The party moved swiftly on down the main corridor. Nick left a trail of water behind them.

"Er, guys?" he drawled, "I'm wet."

"Yes we know, but we've got to more lives to save! Now shut up and let's keep moving!" whispered Sara sharply.

They encountered no more than twenty guards and escaped from all of them unharmed. They played it safe by letting Casey lead them then play an innocent little child if any guards came by. So professional, they were, from all the top espionage teams in the world. Yet so gullible. Casey threatened to shoot them and then Sara chloroformed them.

At last they entered the main chamber and found the glass room above the creature room.

"Alright Culpepper. You're surrounded. Hands up. Now!" yelled Greg. His gun was aimed at Culpepper's heart. Down below Grissom was climbing up the pole his platform was attached to. He took a deep breath and jumped. He grabbed the ladder still leading up to the glass room and began to climb. Warrick helped him into the room and locked the door so no-one would fall out. Sara untied Catherine while Greg still kept his gun on Culpepper.

Suddenly there was a click, making them all jump. They turned around to see none other than Casey Stokes, with her pistol pointing towards them

"Listen up. You can't get out. You are all stuck. You are going to do what I say and then, you die." The expression on her face was grim. Casey was serious.

"Double cross," whispered Greg.


End file.
